Latest news with #CIVICBangalore
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Civic groups question Greater Bengaluru Authority Act over centralisation concerns
Bengaluru: Taking objection to the haphazard manner in which the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has been rolled out, several civic activists are contemplating legal options to prevent what they call derailment and destruction of decentralised governance in the city. At a public discussion organised by CIVIC Bangalore here Saturday, activists said they plan to file a PIL plea in this regard. In the current form, GBA will weaken local decision-making and hamper effective civic administration in Bengaluru, they claimed. On the govt's justification that GBA had to be brought in as Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had failed in administering the city, CIVIC Bangalore executive trustee Kathyanai Chamaraj said: "BBMP did not fail because of internal inefficiency, it was was systematically undermined by the govt. " One of the major criticisms by experts is that the govt failed to expand Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC), a body meant to coordinate various parastatal agencies, and instead opted to create GBA, which took away crucial planning and financial powers from BBMP. This move will leave the city's smaller municipal corporations with limited authority and resources, forcing them to depend heavily on the state-controlled GBA for major projects and budgets, they said. Satyajit Arikutharam, mobility expert, spoke about the impact the bill will have on major mobility decisions: "BMLTA (Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority) Act is already in force — the problem isn't the absence of law, but the deliberate neglect of it. Mega projects like tunnel roads are being pushed through without scrutiny, undermining public transport goals and democratic oversight. We're seeing real estate interests take precedence over planning, and citizens are left paying the price. This isn't just bad governance, it is an erosion of accountability disguised as development." TR Raghunandan, former bureaucrat, said the GBA Act is being sold to people as a reform, but in reality, it's a dangerous centralisation of power. "It creates multiple urban populations without constitutional backing, ignoring the spirit of the 74th Amendment. There's no clarity on what local bodies actually do. It's all PowerPoint governance and not actual empowerment. The Act pretends to devolve power while concentrating it at the top. This is not local self-governance; it's a model of elected monarchies. If we are serious about democracy and functional devolution, we need real responsibilities at the local level, not ornamental laws that weaken it further."
Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
New municipalities under Greater Bengaluru Authority to disrupt reservation rotations, undermine equity: Former IAS T R Raghunandan
Retired IAS officer T R Raghunandan Saturday warned that frequent delimitation and formation of new municipalities under the newly formed Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) will disrupt reservation rotations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and women candidates. 'Their (government's) aim is to prevent rotation of reservation from proceeding logically,' he said, claiming that such tactics violate the 74th Constitutional Amendment's equity mandates. He made the remark while speaking at a seminar organised by CIVIC Bangalore on the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act (GBGA). Raghunandan also urged Bengaluru to adopt the 'Manila and Brussels model', stating that decentralised municipalities with clear roles foster accountability. He, thereafter, argued that frequent delimitation creates new electoral cycles, allowing political actors to dilute the representation of marginalised groups. Raghunandan further noted that GBGA's devolution of 18 subjects is 'vague and ineffective', pointing out the lack of specific tasks for representatives. 'That means nothing,' he said, criticising the 'PowerPoint knowledge' approach that renders corporations symbolic. He stressed the need for precise role delineation to counter bureaucratic resistance and ensure functional governance. Raghunandan also flagged centralised control, with the GBA's state-appointed officials and initiatives like Smart City Private Limited bypassing elected bodies, creating 'elected monarchies'. Calling devolution a 'political battle,' Raghunandan urged engagement with ex-corporators to counter elite dominance. 'Karnataka's Panchayat Raj empowered marginalised groups through clear roles, but urban governance lags. The GBA needs to be challenged by ex-corporators' engagement to fight elite dominance. Devolution is a political battle requiring accountability to ensure Bengaluru's corporations serve all communities equitably,' he said. Kathyayini Chamaraj, Executive Trustee, CIVIC Bangalore, argued that the recently passed GBGA undermines the 74th Constitutional Amendment by centralising control under the state-led Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), headed by the chief minister. She then contended, 'The state, not BBMP, failed by delaying elections for years, weakening local self-governance and depriving citizens of responsive urban governance.' 'Splitting BBMP into seven corporations hinders equitable resource distribution, ignoring Delhi's re-merger lesson. The state's failure to activate the Metropolitan Planning Committee caused Bengaluru's 'ruined' growth, violating the 74th Amendment's mandate for vibrant local self-governance,' Chamaraj said.
